Waiver Wire Pickups
Every fantasy roster is going to leak talent by Week 2, and the difference between a mediocre season and a good one usually comes down to how well you manage what’s left of your FAAB budget once the waiver wire opens.
The instinct after a big Week 1 is to spend heavily on the flashiest names, but discipline matters more than aggression this early. A player who scored big off increased opportunity, like a lead back stepping in for an injured starter, deserves a real bid because that role is likely to hold.
Fool’s gold is real this time of year. A player who simply had one good game in a crowded target share is a smaller, more speculative play, and should be priced that way.
I like saving a large chunk of my FABB budget; overpaying in Week 2 for a name that gets buried on the depth chart by Week 5 is the fastest way to miss the fantasy playoffs. Save for a rainy day. It’s only been one NFL week.
That said, here are my top suggested waiver wire adds to target this week:
41.8% Rostered
Tyler Shough pushed Detroit into overtime in his Week 1 start, connecting with Noah Fant for a touchdown that pulled New Orleans within a point before the Saints fell 31-30. Shough and Chris Olave both posted career-high yardage in the loss, a sign the Saints’ young QB is finding a rhythm with his top target.
Shough had a shaky start to the game but looked great in the second half, thanks to the coaching staff for mixing it up. Week 2, the Saints are again on the road to Baltimore. With Olave commanding coverage and Devaughn Vele emerging underneath, Shough offers streaming upside in two-quarterback and superflex formats this week.
18.3% Rostered
Bryce Young was outscored in a 59-37 shootout loss to Chicago, but his fantasy line told a different story: 23 of 37 for 361 yards, three touchdown passes, and a rushing score, good for four total touchdowns. Two of those passing touchdowns went to Jalen Coker, who torched the Bears’ secondary. Young’s mobility adds a rushing floor that most waiver-wire quarterbacks lack, and Carolina’s offense showed it can move the ball even against a strong opponent.
He heads into Week 2 at Atlanta, a matchup that should let him keep throwing. Young is worth a speculative add in shootout-friendly weeks.
34.7% Rostered
Kaelon Black looked like more than a handcuff in Week 1, taking over lead running back duties for stretches while Christian McCaffrey rotated to the sideline.
Black finished with 65 rushing yards and added a catch, putting himself firmly in San Francisco’s game plan. Given McCaffrey’s long history of missed time, Black’s standing as the clear backup with real early-down usage makes him one of the more valuable handcuffs in fantasy. He gets a Week 2 home matchup against Miami. Add him now in any league. If nothing else, he’s trade bait for CMC owners.
3.7% Rostered
With Alvin Kamara sidelined by a knee injury, Kendre Miller stepped into the lead backfield role for New Orleans in Week 1 and scored a rushing touchdown in the overtime loss to Detroit. Miller’s workload should only grow the longer Kamara stays out, and a healthy dose of work already came his way in his first real opportunity. New Orleans travels to Baltimore in Week 2 against a tough defense, but volume is volume. Miller is a sneaky add in any league. Miller has more long-term season value.
1.5% Rostered
Mack Hollins caught four passes for 51 yards in Week 1 as part of a retooled New England receiver room now built around newly acquired A.J. Brown. Unfortunately, AJB went down, and players will now need to step up.
Hollins carved out a real role in the offense rather than a token target share, and his size makes him a factor in the red zone even in a complementary spot. He is unlikely to ever be a target leader in this offense, but as a depth add in deeper leagues, he offers a weekly floor. New England hosts Pittsburgh in Week 2. Hollins is a deep-league dart throw more than a must-add.
22.5% Rostered
Devaughn Vele delivered a highlight catch of Week 1, hauling in a full-extension touchdown from Tyler Shough during New Orleans’ overtime loss to Detroit. He finished with seven catches for 69 yards and the score, working underneath as Chris Olave drew the top coverage. Vele’s rapport with his new starting quarterback was obvious throughout the game, and he was heavily targeted in the passing offense. He gets another shot in Week 2 against Baltimore. In an offense that already leans on the pass, Vele looks like a real weekly contributor rather than a one-game surprise.
21.7% Rostered
Caleb Douglas walked away as Miami’s leading receiver, catching five passes for 94 yards in his first regular-season action. With the Dolphins’ receiver room thinned out by offseason moves, Douglas stepped directly into significant snaps and target volume.
Multiple outlets flagged him as one of the top waiver-wire adds coming out of Week 1, and his usage suggests the coaching staff trusts him already. He faces San Francisco in Week 2, a winnable matchup for Miami’s passing game. Douglas is worth adding in most formats given how thin the depth chart is behind him.
15.3% Rostered
Wicks caught two passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in his first game with the Philadelphia Eagles, who acquired him in an April trade from Green Bay and signed him to a one-year extension. With A.J. Brown now in New England, Wicks stepped directly into a starting role alongside DeVonta Smith, and Philadelphia clearly committed real money to him for a reason. He gets a Week 2 road matchup against Tennessee. Wicks is a name to add now, in any league where his roster percentage still reflects his old address in Green Bay.
25.4% Rostered
Malachi Fields is climbing the Giants’ receiver depth chart even with Malik Nabers back and healthy after his long recovery from a torn ACL. Fields caught two passes for 25 yards in a limited Week 1 role, but reports out of New York suggest his snap count is trending up as the coaching staff looks for more from the passing game. He is not yet a lead target, but the opportunity behind Nabers is real.
New York plays at the Rams on Monday night in Week 2. Fields is a stash-and-watch add rather than an immediate lineup piece.
64.4% Rostered
Jalen Coker was the story of Carolina’s Week 1 shootout loss to Chicago, catching eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns from Bryce Young, the second-highest scoring performance at any position across the league that week. Coker outproduced Carolina’s other featured wide receiver in the same game, a clear signal about how the coaching staff wants to deploy him early this season. He is already rostered in a majority of leagues, but anyone who still has him available needs to move now.
36.9% Rostered
Michael Mayer caught six passes for 32 yards in Week 1, a solid line that becomes far more interesting with Brock Bowers hurt. Las Vegas recently signed Mayer to a contract extension, a clear vote of confidence in his role regardless of who else is on the roster. With the position’s top target sidelined, Mayer is positioned to see a real jump in volume starting in Week 2 against the Chargers. Tight end is a thin position league-wide, and an every-week target share behind a capable quarterback makes Mayer one of the more attractive adds at the position this week.
2.9% Rostered
The Bengals defense opened the season with a 33-27 win over Tampa Bay, holding up well enough to close out a high-scoring road game. Cincinnati’s defense has been trending up in early-season rankings, and Week 2 brings a favorable matchup against a Houston offense that has struggled early. A two-percent rostered rate is unusually low for a unit coming off a win with a soft matchup on deck. In shallow-to-medium leagues that stream defense weekly, the Bengals are one of the better one-week adds on the board heading into Sunday’s games.
